Martha Mears - The Busiest Dubber in Hollywood

[@jppurves7837]

She's one of the best, catching the actressses' vocal inflections, even accents to a T.

[@skeever]

Your work is fantastic - and Martha Mears was sublime. I had no idea.

[@ElvisTranscriber2]

0:14 Zaza (1948) 0:37 Four Jacks and a Jill (1941) 0:52 Pacific Blackout (1941) 1:16 I Wanted Wings (1941) 1:32 South of Tahiti (1941) 1:55 Road Show (1941) 2:08 The Big Street (1942) 2:41 Holiday Inn (1942l 3:17 DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) 3:36 Higher and Higher (1943) 3:50 Silver Skates (1943) 4:31 The Fallen Sparrow (1943) 4:40 They Got Me Covered (1943) 5:02 Action in The North Atlantic (1943) 6:52 Meet Me on Broadway (1946) 7:05 Nocturne (1946)

[@firesong83]

Her emotional range is absolutely astonishing. I wish I had found your channel before now. This was wonderful! I hope she received a lot of compensation for her talent.

[@lostvocals8]

I'm trying to correct the fact that she is almost completely forgotten - please share the video!

[@matthough3590]

Fantastic assortment of clips showing Martha Mears' versatility. Thanks so much for this compilation.

[@markwebbbrokaw9649]

It is great to hear the appreciation for the oldies, she was a very talented singer, oh, I'm her Grandson....I might be a bit biased...lol

[@saiorseamor]

The wind beneath their wings! Seldom know who the true talents behind the images! ☺️

[@heatherthrone9999]

Thank you for honoring their voices.

[@lostvocals8]

Actually only one voice!

[@plappin]

It's interesting: she's an excellent dubber partly because her voice lacks that particular "color" that is unmistakable in so many other voices, even though she's clearly technically superb. Reminds me a bit of a young Dorothy Collins: a fantastic singer but not a very idiosyncratic sound. As opposed to, say, Peggy Lee: less voice, but unmistakably Peggy.

[@roxyshow123]

Knew a lot of these actresses couldn't sing well. Didn't know it was all done by this lady. Amazing.

[@merricat3025]

Some of them probably didn't sing that badly but they just wanted them to be perfect.

[@PhilippinesFarmLife]

I still do not understand WHY Martha was NOT the star in front of the camera. She was just as attractive and had acting skills as the stars she was dubbing for.

[@KTR2022]

@Adriano Castellano You really think so? I hardly think Claudette could qualify as "beautiful", she was a good actress and elegant woman but was never considered a beauty. I don't really understand the connection between being in front of a camera and being "beautiful" though, Judy Garland was able to become a screen legend without being very pretty, it was all due to her talent .

[@KTR2022]

@Adriano Castellano A taste is a taste. I always thought she was very talented and definitely had one of the best careers in Hollywood though. She knew how to pick her movies and her success rests on her talent .

[@valeriataylor8337]

they had to make those actresses sing. otherwise they would be unnemployed lol

[@KTR2022]

@@valeriataylor8337 Hello again, Rogerina.

[@lostvocals8]

@@KTR2022 Judy was beautiful.

[@thomasdelvin3683]

Somehow I knew about Michelle Morgan in higher and higher before I saw her clip.they used to play that film 24 hours over and over back in the day on tv

[@cynthialambert9067]

Martha was beautiful and talented. Why didn't they just per her in front of the cameras? She seemed to have good screen presence.

[@richarddowney1972]

Good, intelligent, talented lady. She knew she could get a lot of work dubbing.

[@chrismulwee4911]

Maybe she was not a good actress. People can be good if not great at one talent, but not so good or great at another. They can't ALL be triple threats.

[@richardgornalle4536]

That was really extremely interesting. I never knew anything about this talented singer. Well done and thank you.

[@lostvocals8]

Thanks - hard to find all these films!

[@gazza2933]

A beautiful, versatile voice. A new meaning to Unsung Hero.

[@WatchMeWatchStuff]

Thank you so much for making this! Such a talented woman that deserved so much recognition!

[@lostvocals8]

Thanks, that's why I made it - please share it!

[@josephalexandergemmell9979]

I've known for years that Martha had sung for a lot of actresses, but I guess I never realized HOW many. how lucky for them, she sang beautifully! I remember the first time I saw the clip of Lucille ball in dubarry was a lady, getting this strange deja Vu, when I realized that lucille had not only borrowed Rita hayworth's hair, but also her singing voice! by the way, I just recently learned that it was MGM's idea for lucille to become a redhead!

[@joankonkle6972]

Thank you for this surprising collection of clips from a singer I didn't even know existed. It is surprising the studios used her in both top films and low budget ones.

[@paulhelman2376]

The film "A Star Fell From Heavon" with Joseph Schmidt revived around dubbing as the central plot line.

[@lostvocals8]

Would love to see it but can't find any copy online.

[@mikewebber2637]

Patricia Morrison sang in "Kiss Me, Kate," and "The King and I" on Broadway.

[@lostvocals8]

Yep - but they had already recorded the track, so she had to lip sync to it.

[@JustAPrayer]

It just makes me sad that so many of these singers not only weren’t allowed to be the stars, but people weren’t even aware they existed back then. So many people grew up thinking these actors sang their own songs and that’s just not right

[@LaurenceDay-d2p]

Did she ever make any record albums? She should have!

[@lostvocals8]

She did a lot of radio work and recorded with The Sons of The Pioneers.

[@ErwinGiesemann]

I wonder what these dubbers were paid. It's always amazing when they can approximate the stars actual speaking voice. I'd say the absolute high water mark is Marni Nixon for Deborah Kerr in The King And I.

[@mikeo8565]

Martha Mears was the first person to sing My Foolish Heart and in my opinion the best version. This song by Martha Mears can be gotten on Amazon UK, because I am in the US I can't get it. Maybe someone from the UK could and post it here.

[@lostvocals8]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHS6pp1ooMxgfrs

[@mikeo8565]

@@lostvocals8 Thanks I was aware of this copy taken from the film. The one I am talking about is on a cd and I believe a much cleaner copy.

[@joshdrayton1230]

Lucy should probably have used her in Mame too!

[@matthewarroyo3118]

Or probably Virginia Rees who dubbed her in one movie

[@kaipeterson]

Thank you!

[@XX-gy7ue]

WOW

[@marcoscastillojaen1888]

Una estrella que supo a su belleza sacarle partido. R.

[@lostvocals8]

It's about Martha, not Rita.

[@sophj95]

Rita really suits her voice.

[@dpf5939]

Rita didn't sing. Always dubbed.

[@orlandocordova8818]

WOW! 😮!

[@jonlonoff4303]

Great history. Patricia Morrison was a great singer on her own. Odd.

[@lostvocals8]

The track was recorded before she was hired.

[@rubywingo6030]

Real life Singing in the Rain!!

[@aspec42]

Superb! Wondering if there were any male ghost singers?

[@lostvocals8]

Sure - watch my Dubbing Through the Decades videos!

[@steventhorson4487]

❤

[@thomasdelvin3683]

Her dubbing seemed more realistic and convincing than Marnie Nixon

[@deezynar]

And I always thought that everyone could sing except for me.

[@bingola45]

...and my monkey...

[@DDumbrille]

Seems like she captured everyone quite well...except perhaps Lucille Ball.

[@Diaredd59]

I kind of felt that too, but I think Lucille Ball's voice was different back in the '40's. I for one can't imagine any other voice than the voice she had as she got older.

[@bingola45]

@@Diaredd59 ...the one out of The Exorcist!

[@MayorMcCheeseStalker]

According to imdb, Martha also provides the voice of the nightclub singer in Paramount's "Remember the Night" (1940). She sings 2 songs --- "Easy Living" and "(Back Home Again in) Indiana." I believe, but am not certain, that Martha not only provides her voice but also appears onscreen as this unnamed singer. I Googled images of Martha, and she does resemble the girl in the film.

[@lostvocals8]

Turns out that is her in "Remember the Night". She was hoping this would translate into more screen roles, but it did not. Paramount didn’t think she photographed well. Neither did RKO. She recorded songs for "Call Out the Marines" (1942) and was supposed to be seen singing them, but RKO decided to find a “prettier” girl. Talk about cruel.

[@MayorMcCheeseStalker]

@@lostvocals8 Thank you for researching that. And outstanding job on this tribute video. "Remember the Night," "Holiday Inn," and "Higher and Higher" have been 3 of my favorite old movies for decades. I'm amazed to discover that Martha sang in all three.

[@lholt5040]

She's Beautiful! Why didn't she become a First -Rate Actress? Why did they keep her down in the trenches?

[@danaernst922]

I wonder if her story was loosely used for Singing in the Rain

[@lostvocals8]

No - Martha worked mainly in the 1940s, and SITR is about the transition to sound in the late 1920s.

[@laustpeternielsen-norman9569]

It’s rater fun some of thes women can sing

[@audramcdonaldapologist3676]

Why did they dub Patricia Morison? Isn’t she a singer?

[@kuklafranandollie]

The track was recorded before she was cast, and they couldn’t afford to redo it.

[@robertn800]

Who’s the guy with the song “til the end of time”’ 🥰 He’s awfully handsome 💪🏼 (This is an arm- not a you know what) 🙀

[@lostvocals8]

The most handsom actor in Hollywood history: Guy Madison!

[@carolinezervan6301]

What about marni nixon.

[@kuklafranandollie]

Marni came nowhere close to Martha in number of dubbing jobs - only about 10%.

[@annetteknitter1113]

Did she have a male counterpart?

[@lostvocals8]

Bill Lee was probably the busiest, but not as much as Martha.

[@chrismulwee4911]

@@lostvocals8 Bill Lee is {I assume} best known as Christopher Plummer's singing voice in THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

[@lostvocals8]

@@chrismulwee4911 And many other films.

[@chrismulwee4911]

@@lostvocals8Who else did he sing for?

[@lostvocals8]

@@chrismulwee4911 www.imdb.com/name/nm0496884/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

[@dpf5939]

I had heard years ago that Rita Hayworth was always dubbed. She was beautiful and a good dancer,but apparently couldn't sing. Lucille Ball was originally a Goldwyn girl. She was a great comediene but couldn't sing. Veronica Lake obviously couldnt sing. Two of my favorite musical stars of the 40s and 50s,Betty Grable and Betty Hutton, were both good singers and dancers. Interesting video.

[@bbrown333]

Ronni was quite good in Sullivan's Travels so I think that is a bit unfair.

[@roxyshow123]

Lucille Ball could sing. But the people at MGM didn't like her voice. In "Du Barry was a Lady" Ball is dubbed but also sings (You're not sick, you're just in love) . And you can clearly hear the difference.

[@murieltainter5936]

I'm wondering if she sang "Put the blame on Mame boys"................

[@dpf5939]

@@murieltainter5936 Martha Mears did the singing for that song too. I'd be curious to actually hear Rita's singing voice.

[@bingola45]

@@roxyshow123 You can CERTAINLY hear the difference. That's why they dubbed Ball in the first place!

[@Spiderman7Bob7]

THIS IS NICE, BUT I ALWAYS WONDERED IF THEY WANTED A SINGER - WHY NOT GET A REAL SINGER TO PLAY THESE ROLES. AND I BELIEVED THAT THESE ACTRESS' HAD TO BE ASHAMED OF THERESELF FOR MAKING PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY DID THEIR OWN SINGING.

[@lostvocals8]

Star power puts butts in seats. Actors accepted it as part of the illusion.

[@annetteknitter1113]

Also getting their moneys worth from people under contract.

[@davidg2839]

People complain about actors who can't sing being dubbed by ghost voices. However what's the difference between being ghost voiced and being substituted in dangerous scenes by stunt men and women? The cinema is after all illusion.

[@Spiderman7Bob7]

AND TILL I SAW THIS I THOUGHT IT WAS MARJORIE REYNOLDS DOING HER OWN SINGING WITH BING CROSBY ON 'WHITE CHRISTMAS'. NOW YOU'VE SPOILED IT FOR ME. SHAME ON YOU.

[@lostvocals8]

Why? When I watch it, I enjoy Martha's singing and Marjorie's performance. The best of both worlds!

[@bingola45]

@@lostvocals8 It'd hard to believe how shallow some people are.

[@LornaEGL]

Truth hurts 😂